text:
Die Zauberflote, Monostatos, Orchestra Hall
Minnegeddon — one day when 'Monostatos' (almost) told the truth…
April 3, 2016 Pamela Brown Leave a comment
When the person I call 'Monostatos' came into our lives, it was a very puzzling time. What possible interest could this person have in us, I frequently wondered. Something seemed not quite right, but I could not put my finger on it. I grabbed a hint the first time I was asked to play the flute for him — he played accompaniment to a movement of a Bach sonata. He kept looking up at me from under his prominent eyebrows. He seemed to be lying in wait. But why? As soon as I flipped a page, he pounced, claiming I had 'missed a beat'. What is going on here, I wondered? Why do I have the impression that it is either him or me?
In hindsight, of course, I wish that I had trusted that impression, for it defined the reality of the following 666 or so days. Stealth, deception, hidden ill-intent were the norm. Early-on, they were so far hidden as to be almost invisible.
And so, with helpful and gentle smiles, he enticed me to practice on the stage at Orchestra Hall after rehearsals, which I was invited to attend. How could anyone resist? So out came the Mozart flute concertos, and two of the Mozart violin concertos. The Khat, the Nielsen, Bach, whatever I was working on, soared through the hall and, so he said, through the rest of the building, as i practiced on the darkened stage.
We were the oddity of the orchestra at the time — the concert master called us "Beauty and the Beast" — the gangly young man with the flute player and her three adorable children. It seemed that everyone knew what was going on except me.
Well, that is not entirely true, as I had been studying with the Pricipal Flute player for a while before that. This argumentative little man, in addition to sandbagging my practice, practically accused me of being responsible for the name change of the orchestra. At the time, that seemed completely bizarre. But again, he knew more than I did. So I did have a heads-up — I just didn't understand it.
But Monostatos agenda seemed to run afoul one day, after a very simple event. On the stage, once again, he asked me to play the Mozart D Major Concerto. He would accompany me (in a general way, as he was not a keyboard player).One of my favorite pieces. The first one I had performed, in fact, when I was in High School. It was, of course, astonishingly lovely to hear the flute in the acoustics of the hall. Afterword, he seemed nonchalant as usual, but there was a glint in his eye that meant trouble. I had done something again that had upset him. I waited for a verbal attack to come — or worse. But there was none.
Subsequent to that he slipped into a profound depression, spending his days in the darkened room I had long before abandoned, knees to his chest, clutching the sheets. I tried to help, but was pushed away. One day he walked into a psych ward and admitted himself. A few days later he left. Then he admitted himself to an in-patient treatment program (though he did not drink) and then left about a week later. I felt helpless and bewildered. I began to accept that nothing might ever work again, and that I had to prepare to take care of my children.
He would not talk, would not share. But, one evening, after going out for a bite to eat, leaving the children with a sitter, we drove to a new construction area on a street called Smetana Drive. I parked the VW beetle and tried to talk with him. What is going on, I pleaded. And then he whispered, in the dark — "I don't know if you are an amateur or the most exciting musician since Mozart." I was baffled, and stunned. What possible connecting thread could there be to all of this?
From that moment on, there was nothing but emotional and spiritual war in the house. He ended up running out one night, never to return. I was so relieved that the war was over I didn't bother to ask what had motivated his becoming involved with us in the first place, much less the traumatic events that followed…
MinnegeddonMonostatosOrchestra HallThe Most Exciting Musician Since Mozart
Previous PostMinnegeddon: the music of Wolfgang Mozart and the Great Finn-esse…:-0Next PostWolf, me and the Amadeus slander factory…


owser to get it to record correctly.
I'm not having this problem on other phpBB, phpBB2, SMF, or VB forums.
No issue, but thought I'd give you a heads up.
Do you mean the icon remains colored as if you did not see it?
That has happened to me once or twice, but it is so infrequent, I just ignored it. Pretty odd though, I must admit.


text:
Five Television Shows Better than their Movie Counterparts
Aiden Mason 6 years ago
Arguably, television shows that were originally major motion pictures don't really cut it. They never seem to be able to live up to the original. And, for every single one that is better than the movie, there are ten that aren't even close.
Today's entertainment trend also seems to be just the opposite, as in TV shows turned into movies like "Sex in the City", "21 Jump Street" and the sequel, "The A-Team", "The Brady Bunch", "Dragnet", "Dr. Who", "The Dukes of Hazzard", and my favorite "Entourage". In addition, "Star Trek", "The Fugitive", "Mission Impossible", "Charlie's Angels", "Batman" and "Superman" were all originally TV shows and look how many sequels they turned into. In addition "Dark Shadows" was a TV soap opera that became a movie much later.
Now, in many cases, the movies that evolved from these TV shows were much better, thanks to bigger writers, directors, and actors, as well as the schedules that movies shoot on as compared to the very fast-moving TV show schedules. So, that being said, it's not too easy to find TV shows that were based on hit movies and are really better than those movies, but there definitely were a few, including:
"MASH"- (11 Seasons)
"Mash" the movie was released in 1970 and was a satirical comedy that involved a bunch of misfit doctors in the Korean War who worked at a mobile Army hospital. This particular motion picture turned out to be one of the most successful ones ever for the great director Robert Altman. Then CBS turned it into a TV show two years later, bringing more success than the movie had ever seen, thanks to the comedic writing and amazingly funny cast. The characters in the movie that were played by Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland were played on the small screen by Wayne Rodgers and Alan Alda. In fact, Alda's character "Hawkeye" will go down in history as one of the funniest tongue-in-cheek characters to ever hit the TV screen. And, this particular TV show was the first one to actually be better than the movie. During its long 11-year run, the show won 14 Emmy awards. In addition, the series finale was viewed by 125 million viewers and still stands today as the most-watched television event of all time!
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" – (7 Seasons)
This oh-so-popular supernatural drama has often been named the best adapted for television from a movie series of all time. But, since it only ran seven seasons, which is less than "Mash" and hasn't won nearly as many awards or accolades, we placed it second. One of its endearing qualities is how it mixed all that supernatural stuff with engaging stories about teenage angst and scary high school days. It also portrayed Sarah Michelle Gellar's character of Buffy as a totally relatable girl managing a perfect balance between the everyday issues of high school with the challenging work of preventing the end of the world via a vampire takeover. And, according to EW, millions of fans, and Rolling Stone, it's actually one of the best TV shows ever due to the fact that it could be both funny and scary at the same time. Josh Whedon revamped the movie, which by and large was rather forgettable on the big screen , and turned it into a small screen mega-hit. So, now "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is considered in the business to be a gold standard that folks putting together movie-to-TV shows should be following.
"Fargo" – (3+ Seasons)
The Coen Brothers did a bang-up job with the 1996 Oscar-winning movie of the same name, and surely their FX series involvement should have been more than just as executive producers. But nevertheless, the TV series was a huge hit and well it should be. It had amazing writing, gorgeous scenery, and some of the best acting on TV today. The first season starred Billy Bob Thornton and it could be argued that it was Fargo's best season. His fantastically evil bad-to-the-bone character was unforgettable and TV audiences everywhere just loved to hate him. He was just the epitome of all that's mean and ugly in the world, but in spite of that, we really hated to see him die. That's probably because he ate up the scenery around him like he always does. Bily Bob has, of course, turned in some great performances in his career, in addition to being an excellent director, but "Fargo" has just got to be one of his best. We just couldn't wait to see what evil deeds his character would come up with each week. Following his death, we wondered if the series would be canceled, but it came back with some fantastic new stars like Ted Danson, not to mention an award-winning soundtrack. Audiences everywhere are just waiting to see what the next season will bring.
Friday Night Lights (5 Seasons)
OK, we all know how much everybody in the U.S. loves football, so this one had to be a hit. And, Peter Berg is one of those excellent directors, who can give the audience what they want whether on film or on the small screen. He brings the high school football team and Coach Taylor to the forefront while still keeping the focus on all of the other endearing characters in the small town in Texas. This is a true story that became a movie that may have only been moderately successful at the box office but turned into a critically acclaimed TV show. And, many are saying that it became a big hit mainly because it had "heart". The cast changed from the movie to the small screen with the exception of "Nashville" star, Connie Britton, who plays Coach Taylor's wife in both. The series came to an end with both of its creators, Kyle Chandler and Jason Katims, winning an Emmy.
La Femme Nikita (4 Seasons)
In the 1990 film, Luc Besson gave us an action thriller about a drug addict who was struggling with her horrific lot in life as an assassin, a role she was forced into by the government. Before hit TV shows like "Homeland", "24", and "Alias" brought antiterrorism to the forefront, Nikita was fighting those nasty terrorists and often all on her own. She was a kick-ass lady on film and that carried over well into the TV show. Only on television, she wasn't a drug addict at all and her relationship with Michael, her trainer, became more central to the series. The TV show fared much better than the cult film and its sequels, quite possibly because it didn't have to suffer through that foreign film flair that many American audiences just never quite take to. This TV show only ranked #5 because it never received the rave reviews of the other four, but it was definitely an improvement on the movie.
10 Things You Didn't Know about the Movie "Repo Man"
Kevin Feige Isn't Ruling Out a Venom vs. Spider-Man Movie
Tom Foster July 17, 2021
Why "Chef" is the Most Authentic Movie About the Culinary Profession
deepajay January 6, 2023
Five Sports Films Not Really about Sports At All
Redmond Bacon March 23, 2020
Five Awesome Bank Teller Scenes in Movies
Tom Foster December 1, 2017
IMDb Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with List of Top 60 Films
Ben Hestad May 8, 2021
Movie Review: Run Sweetheart Run
Tom Foster October 30, 2022
The Five Best Luke Evans Movies of His Career
Tom Foster November 12, 2018
Hugh Jackman Was Warned That the First 'X-Men' Would Bomb
Tony Matutai December 28, 2017
Five Awesome "Convenience Store" Scenes in Movies
Tom Foster April 11, 2018
How The Maggia Crime Families Can Fit Into The MCU
David Martinez January 2, 2022
"Lady Bird" Just Made Rotten Tomatoes History
Aiden Mason November 28, 2017
The Top Five Jesse Ventura Movie Roles of His Career
Tom Foster December 12, 2017
Check Out the Trailer for Seth Rogen's Talking Food Movie Sausage Party
Aiden Mason March 15, 2016
Five Great Scenes in Movies That Heavily Involve Eggs
Tom Foster March 27, 2018
Captain Marvel Nears the Coveted $1 Billion Mark Worldwide
Tony Matutai April 2, 2019
Quarantine and Chill: 5 Must-Stream Movies to Watch on Amazon Prime in August 2020
Tony Matutai August 29, 2020
The Movies Topping the Box Office These Days are Bizarre
Tom Foster July 6, 2020
5 Underrated Horror Movies
The Shawshank Redemption Gets the Honest Trailers Treatment
Tom Foster January 9, 2021
The Ten Best Movies of Summer 2016
Tony Matutai September 14, 2016
10 Memorable Fictional Pro Wrestlers in Movies
Madison April 15, 2016
T'Challa Has Likely Died Before Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
David Martinez July 28, 2022
The Top Five Uses of the song "Margaritaville" in Movies
Aiden Mason
Aiden's been an entertainment freelancer for over 10 years covering movies, television and the occasional comic or video game beat. If it's anything Shawshank Redemption, Seinfeld, or Kevin Bacon game related he's way more interested.
Days of Our Lives Spoilers: Will Andre Survive a Terrible Accident?
10 Things You Didn't Know about Seo Hyo-rim
Five Older Movies That Can Still be Remade Today
Supernatural 4.14 – "Sex and Violence" Recap
Cult Movie Review: Blue Velvet (1986)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


While in theory, the crawl space sounds better, it's really not. You have your HVAC, ducts, and plumbing in a humid moist environment which attracts pests, bugs and is not really suitable for storage. So basically there is extra maintenance for little benefit. I've heard crawls are better for doing remodels, but if you can get newer or new home, and have a choice, choose the Slab. Some homebuilders have even done away with crawl spaces altogether and will only do Slab or Basement foundations.
ignoring ground condition and location (soil type, etc.) and only choosing from the options here, I'd go crawl space every day. I do not like slab construction and find many benefits in a crawl space with a pier and beam foundation. More specifically, a ranch on a pier and beam foundation.
Access to inspection for plumbing and electrical modifications or repairs as needed, a better feeling floor bounce, a more comfortable floor from a temperature standpoint. I also just think it looks better unless you have an uber modern home. The benefits of a slab are limited, outside of the fact it is often faster and cheaper for the foundation guy.
Is this what we have or what we prefer? I voted what I have. What I would *prefer* is a basement, which wasn't in the poll.
Interestingly enough, what I've found with slabs is that if the insects don't have room to live *under* your house, they come inside. Houses where I've had a crawlspace, I see way fewer bugs in the house. On a slab, we had to use perimeter spray several times a year to keep the spiders out.
I would never use a crawlspace for storage - or anything, for that matter. That's what contractors are for!
Yes, other than keeping an eye out for wood-destroying insects and minimizing conditions for attracting them, I really don't care if spiders and bugs live in the crawl space. As long as they are outside the conditioned envelope of the space, it doesn't bother me. Especially when buying existing homes, I wouldn't even consider a home on a slab unless it met all of my other requirements. You have the ability to truly inspect the plumbing and electrical and the ability to make changes or upgrade as needed without expensive trenching etc.
I am sure someone has said this but I didn't read the entire thread yet, but NO there is not a foundation under the basement the basement is the foundation in cases with a basement and that is what I would have voted for.
If basement is not possible then crawl space, though vastly inferior, and never a slab.
Basement, all day. I feel sorry for those that live in areas where basements aren't possible. A dry basement with nice 7ft+ clearance is awesome. Easy to run wires/plumbing, can inspect important structural elements for damage, nice semi-conditioned area for water heater, furnace and duct work, and an awesome place for storage and/or things like gym equipment and workbenches.
Crawlspaces give you some of these features, but the major downside is that in most cases, it's not easy/fun to perform inspections. That's how people end up with rotten joists, insect damage, and mold due to conditions that should've been caught before they became a big issue.
I've used my crawl space for storage and never had a problem. I have no problems with insects or rodents down there either. I'll take a crawl space over a slab any day.
Basements do have footings in most cases, pretty much resembling the footing which crawl space foundations sit on. If the water table is low enough, theoretically you would not need a slab floor in the basement, an earthen floor would suffice.
Personally...I prefer crawl-space...for a variety of reasons; most of which have already been discussed here.
In some parts of the country....slab is all they have!


Data, devices and employees are mobilized and traffic is increasingly going to the internet and cloud applications. Traditional approaches to network protection are going away as the concept of a secure perimeter disappear.
In this webcast we'll look at today's new business paradigm, the challenges we now face, along with best practices for building a secure network in the cloud.
Join Hugh Thompson, CTO of Symantec, and Mark Urban, VP Product Strategy & Operations, Symantec as they share their vision for Cloud Generation Network Security and how they see leading companies of all sizes prepare for the future.
It promises to be an insightful event for all security, network and IT professionals. After their presentation the speakers will also take questions from the audience.
We highly encourage you to register and reserve your spot today.
Misconfigurations of cloud services can lead to gaping holes in your cloud environment and present low hanging fruit for attackers. Cloud users need a proactive, automated approach to monitoring and securing the cloud control plane.
• Configuration Errors: Monitor changes happening to cloud services in real-time and maintain your "gold standard" security posture.
• Painstaking Triage: Automate the remediation process to handle any security issues for both inline as well as offline workflows.
Office 365 has captured the imagination of many organizations, offering a wide range of productivity applications in a single platform. However, as organizations race to the cloud they realise that solving the security challenges may not be as straightforward as they hoped.
The Office 365 platform encompasses communication, content creation and distribution applications stored in a cloud environment that's open to all (any user, any device). In short, this single platform reflects the full range of security challenges that any organisation faces, so no wonder security deserves a deeper think.
Join Sunil Choudrie, a Security Strategist from Symantec where he will discuss the security implications and key considerations for organizations that have moved, or are planning to move to Office 365.
The cloud makes your teams faster and more agile. But they're leaning on infrastructure as a service faster than you can secure it. With Symantec's Cloud Security you are able to see who is using the cloud, how they are using the cloud, and if your information is at risk. Watch this demo to see how we can help you prevent against cloud misconfigurations, misuse, and data loss.
What if security was baked in to your development workflow in a way that didn't slow you down? Symantec Cloud Workload Protection (CWP), integrates into your DevOps workflows, automating security so you don't have to think about it.
Watch this demo to see how CWP helps you build securely while still shipping fast.
It's no news flash that misconfigurations cause the majority of cloud security failures. But how do you prioritize security tasks with your limited resources?
Symantec Cloud Workload Assurance minimizes misconfigurations through automated discovery and continuous monitoring of your cloud environments. Watch this video to see how!
In today's world of increasing threats, there is a greater need to reduce the latency in data collection and act quickly based on that data. Join us on March 13 for a special webinar focused on our new real-time visibility and remediation capabilities to help protect and secure endpoints.
Don't miss this great opportunity to learn how Symantec endpoint management solutions can strengthen endpoint security and maximize user productivity.
- Formjacking was the breakthrough threat of 2018, as cryptojacking and ransomware show signs of decline. However enterprises continue to face the problem of targeted ransomware.
- Living off the land and supply chain attacks are now a staple of the new threat landscape.
- Cloud users facing challenges on multiple fronts through data leaks from cloud storage and low-level chip vulnerabilities.
- Targeted attack groups show increasing interest in operational targets; greater number of groups adopting destructive malware.
Join us to learn how to automate security into the DevOps toolchain and strike a balance between agility and security in the cloud.
Are you storing sensitive data and running business-critical operations in AWS? The news is full of stories about data exposure or loss involving misconfigurations, misuse, or compromised accounts in AWS. Analysts are urgently advising organizations to get automated controls and centralized management in place to secure their IaaS operations.
As a result, IT organizations are increasingly looking to security providers such as Symantec for solutions to provide visibility, behavior monitoring, access controls, data security, and threat protection for AWS.
As we become increasingly reliant on mobile devices, its vital to ensure we are being safe and protecting ourselves from potential threats.
During this video, we will demonstrate how easy it is for a hacker to take full control of a mobile device, steal credentials, control and manipulate communications, steal identities and remotely record conversations without detection.
In each case, see how Symantec Endpoint Protection Mobile (SEP Mobile, formerly Skycure) protects the device and data from attacks.
Cyber threats continue to evolve and target enterprise weaknesses, while the cost and complexity of operating cyber security are increasing. And the old way of fighting cyber-attacks using fragmented tools no longer works. How do organisations adapt their cyber security technology strategies?
There's a seismic shift happening in cyber security. Integrated platforms are the future.
Join us for a webinar to hear how Symantec and our partners are working together to drive down the cost and complexity of cyber security, while protecting enterprises against sophisticated threats.
Zero Trust is an architectural model that guides security teams on how to apply Zero Trust tenants to address the modern threat landscape. The model advocates a holistic approach to information security and puts special focus on processes and technologies that secure your data, wherever it resides.
The objective is to strengthen data security and obfuscation – to limit risk derived from excessive user privileges and access. Benefits also include improved security detection and response with analytics and automation.
Understanding key concepts at a high level is one thing. Properly implementing the model can be much more challenging.
You'll gain valuable insight whether you're well on your way to Zero Trust implementation or are just considering it.
Its your job to secure email, sensitive data and apps in Office 365. Now What?
Moving to cloud applications provides the opportunity to get your security right. This is the time to set up optimum data loss prevention, malware and phishing prevention, and access controls on your systems. No matter if you are still planning, have just started, are in the midst, or are fully migrated to Office 365, there are security policies and procedures to implement and optimize.
Snapper, a New Zealand-based company, needed a security solution to protect their customer data in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) from advanced threats and malware. In our upcoming webinar, learn why the flexibility and scalability of Symantec Cloud Workload Protection for Storage (CWP for Storage) made it the right solution for Snapper.
Symantec is a global leader in providing security solutions to help our customers – from consumers and small businesses to the largest global organizations – secure their information against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently than any other company. Our company's unique focus is to eliminate risks to information, technology and processes independent of the device, platform, interaction or location.


text:
"Scars" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), revolving around the character of Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they make contact with a secretive community of Inhumans. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Brent Fletcher and Drew Z. Greenberg, and directed by Kevin Tancharoen.

Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, and is joined by series regulars Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Nick Blood, and Adrianne Palicki. The episode ties into the film Avengers: Age of Ultron, exploring the aftermath of it.

"Scars" originally aired on ABC on May 5, 2015, and according to Nielsen Media Research, was watched by 4.45 million viewers.

Plot

In flashbacks to the previous year, it is revealed that Sam Koenig has been overseeing the secret Theta Protocol project, which involves refurbishing Fury's disused helicarrier. This helicarrier is later used by the Avengers and Fury to rescue thousands of civilians from Sokovia during Ultron's attempt to destroy the world.

In the present, Coulson is allowed to be the director of SHIELD again due to his role in saving the Sokovians. The council (Gonzales, May, Morse, Weaver and Oliver) become his advisors. Still unable to trust Coulson, Mack resigns from SHIELD. Skye tells Coulson and May that Jiaying is her mother and that Eva and Katya Belyakov were Inhumans, and May admits the truth about the Bahrain incident to Coulson.

Raina is revered by the other Inhumans for her precognitive powers, and becomes content with her new form and abilities. When she mentions to Gordon that she had a vision of a stone with the ability to become a liquid, he and Jiaying explain that this is the Monolith, a Kree weapon intended to eradicate the Inhumans. Gordon's attunement to Kree technology leads him and Raina to the Monolith, which is in the Iliad'''s cargo hold. Hunter sees them, and they are forced to flee to evade capture, after which the council plan to find the Inhumans, considering them a threat.

Using salvaged Hydra technology, Weaver is able to trace Gordon's teleportation and determine Afterlife's location. Gonzales suggests they attack, but Coulson instead sends Skye and Lincoln to liaise with the Inhumans and arrange a meeting between him and Jiaying. Raina has a vision of SHIELD attacking Afterlife after the meeting, and begs Gordon to let her represent the Inhumans instead of Jiaying. Convinced that Raina is manipulating the other Inhumans and planning to seize power, Jiaying has her placed under house arrest. The council insist that Coulson should not meet with Jiaying due to his lack of objectivity concerning Skye, and Gonzales is nominated to stand in.

SHIELD personnel travel to Afterlife in quinjets, but Morse's plane is hijacked by Palamas posing as May. She takes Morse to a remote location, and when Morse tries to escape, Ward appears and shoots her with an Icer. At Afterlife, Cal surrenders to SHIELD as a gesture of goodwill from the Inhumans. Meeting in private, Jiaying shows Gonzales a Terrigen crystal, explaining that the Inhumans have never been able to remove the Diviner metal properties, making the Terrigen they produce lethal to humans. She shatters the crystal, and the Terrigen mist petrifies Gonzales, after which she shoots herself with his gun, and tells Skye and the other Inhumans that he tried to kill her.

In an end tag Ward and Palamas plan to torture Morse, in revenge for giving Palamas' location to Whitehall, which Morse did to ingratiate herself with Hydra.

 Production
 Development
In March 2015, Marvel announced that the twentieth episode of the season would be titled "Scars", to be written by Rafe Judkins and Lauren LeFranc, with Bobby Roth directing.

 Casting

In March 2015, Marvel revealed that main cast members Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Nick Blood, and Adrianne Palicki would star as Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Grant Ward, Skye, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Lance Hunter, and Bobbi Morse, respectively. It was also revealed that the guest cast for the episode would include Henry Simmons as Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, Ruth Negga as Raina, Patton Oswalt as Sam/Billy Koenig, Kyle MacLachlan as Cal, Edward James Olmos as Robert Gonzales, Jamie Harris as Gordon, Christine Adams as Agent Weaver, Mark Allan Stewart as Agent Oliver, Maya Stojan as Kara/Agent 33, Dichen Lachman as Jiaying, Luke Mitchell as Lincoln Campbell, Alicia Vela-Bailey as Alisha, David Douglas as Michael and Crystal Coney as scientist. Vela-Bailey, Douglas, and Coney did not receive guest star credit in the episode. Simmons, Negga, Oswalt, MacLachlan, Olmos, Harris, Adams, Stewart, Stojan, Lachman, and Mitchell reprise their roles from earlier in the series.

 Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins
Following the events of "The Dirty Half Dozen" leading up to the opening scene of the film Avengers: Age of Ultron, this episode deals with the aftermath of the film, containing "plot threads and other connective tissue" with it. Comparing this tie-in to first season tie-in to Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', executive producer Jeffrey Bell said, "Our stories have to stand on their own. We're not getting blown up like we were last year with Hydra and Captain America, but some elements or some things from the movie do affect some of the relationships in our episodes moving forward, in an interesting and constructive manner."

Release

Broadcast
"Scars" was first aired in the United States on ABC on May 5, 2015.

Marketing
For the final twelve episodes of the season Marvel once again ran the "Art of..." initiative, in which an image was released the Thursday before the episode aired, depicting a first look at a key event from the upcoming episode, with the season's title being "The Art of Evolution". The different artists were once again chosen to create the teaser posters, based on their previous work and how it connected to the themes and emotion of the intended episode. Marguerite Sauvage provided the poster for "Scars", which prominently features Jiaying and her scars in a way that the series cannot do with special effects, while also depicting Skye near the former's stomach to cement the maternal connection between them.

Home media
The episode began streaming on Netflix on June 11, 2015, and was released along with the rest of the second season on September 18, 2015, on Blu-ray and DVD.

Reception

Ratings
In the United States the episode received a 1.5/5 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 1.5 percent of all households, and 5 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 4.45 million viewers.

References

External links
"Scars" at ABC

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 2) episodes
2015 American television episodes
Television episodes directed by Bobby Roth
Television episodes written by Rafe Judkins

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The reinsurance arbitration industry involves a relatively small group of companies and individuals, and participants in reinsurance arbitrations know that it is common practice at the organizational meeting for the arbitrators to disclose that they know a party representative or counsel in the arbitration through professional organizations such as ARIAS. In Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, LLP v. Koch, 75 Cal. Rptr. 3d 869 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008), a California court of appeals addressed the issue – in a case not involving insurance or reinsurance – of the extent to which disclosures of this nature were legally required under California arbitration law or, even if not required, conferred on the parties an automatic right to disqualify a neutral arbitrator once made.
Under California arbitration law, persons serving as neutral arbitrators must disclose "all matters that could cause a person aware of the facts to reasonably entertain a doubt that the proposed neutral arbitrator would be able to be impartial." Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 1281.9(a). While not exclusive, the statute sets forth six enumerated matters that must be disclosed, including "[a]ny professional or significant personal relationship the proposed neutral arbitrator . . . has or has had with any party to the arbitration proceeding or lawyer for a party." Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 1281.9(a)(6). See also ARIAS Code of Conduct, Cannon IV, comment 1 ("Before accepting an arbitration appointment, candidates should make a reasonable effort to identify and disclose any direct or indirect financial or personal interest in the outcome of the proceeding or any existing or past financial, business, professional, family or social relationship that others could reasonably believe would be likely to affect their judgment, including any relationship with persons they are told will be potential witnesses.").
In Luce, Forward, a neutral arbitrator disclosed at the outset of the arbitration that he had previously acted as mediator in three cases where Luce Forward was a party, but that none of the mediations concerned the issues in the present case and the attorneys involved in the present case did not participate in those mediations. Luce, Forward, 75 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 872. Neither party sought to disqualify the arbitrator on this basis.
Later, in the course of preparing for the hearing, the arbitrator discovered that a Luce Forward partner with whom he has served on the board of the Business Trial Lawyers Association ("ABTL") was listed as counsel on Luce Forward's hearing brief. He had also served on the ABTL with Luce Forward's rebuttal expert witness. Id. In response to this discovery, the arbitrator disclosed that he had served with these individuals on the ABTL board, and that at any given time the ABTL had three dozen board members and between 500 to 700 members. Id. The arbitrator further disclosed that he had served with the same Luce Forward partner on the board of American Inns of Court and stated that in his view, neither of these contacts would affect his ability to be fair and impartial to both parties in the case. In addition, the arbitrator noted that he had not read the rebuttal expert report at issue, would not do so, and would strike this expert from the witness list.
In response to these disclosures Koch moved to disqualify the arbitrator for cause, which motion the arbitrator denied. Id. at 873. The hearing went forward as scheduled and in June 2006 the arbitrator issued a final award in favor of Luce Forward. The defendants petitioned to vacate the award on the grounds that the arbitrator was disqualified based on his disclosures, which petition was denied. Id. at 873-74.
On appeal, the court addressed the issues of whether the neutral's disclosures were required – in which case the parties agreed he was subject to disqualification – or, even if not required, triggered the parties' right to disqualify the arbitrator once the disclosures were voluntarily made. See id. at 875-76.
Addressing first the issue of whether the neutral was required to disclose the fact that he was professionally acquainted with an attorney involved in the case and a rebuttal expert witness, the court concluded that while the neutral's candor was "commendable," he was not legally required to disclose these relationships, which did not involve personal or business relationships or close friendships and only involved "slight or attenuated" contacts. Id. at 879. Cf. Nationwide Mutual Ins. Co. v. Home Ins. Co., 278 F.3d 621, 625 (6th Cir. 2002) (fact that umpire served as Chairman of the Board of company with "run-off" relationship with Home, and was involved in discussions concerning a dispute over a "relatively small" amount, not a sufficient basis to find umpire was partial to Nationwide). The court noted: "arbitrators cannot sever all their ties with the business world" and the same is true of professional obligations involving service to the legal community and the public, continuing education for bar members and mentoring for new lawyers." Luce, Forward, 75 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 879.
Moreover, while parties to an arbitration have an unqualified right under the California arbitration statutes to disqualify a neutral arbitrator based upon any disclosure that is required by law, see Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 1281.91, the court refused to interpret these statutes to grant such an absolute right of disqualification where a disclosure is not legally required but is instead made out of an abundance of caution. Luce, Forward, 75 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 880.


text:
Being a Teen in the Nineteenth Century
Marissa Doyle
Regina Scott
Follow NineteenTeen by Email
Subscribe to Regina's Newsletter
Subscribe to Marissa's Newsletter
What's a (Poor) Lady to Do?
1810, What a Year It Was: the (Final) Madness of K...
Regina Scott Returns...to the Regency
Ackermann Goes Holographic!
Cool 19th Century Places to Visit: National Buildi...
Newer Additions to my Collection: 1813
Happy Birthday, Kristy J. Manhattan
A Mysterious Tale...or, Perhaps, a Tail
A Distance Too Grand
Coming November 5!
The Matchmaker's Rogue
Book 1 in the Grace-by-the-Sea Series
Between Silk and Sand
young adult fantasy from Book View Cafe
Prospect Agency
Marissa on Facebook
Regina on Facebook
Marissa on Twitter
We have, over the years, discussed the activities and challenges of the young lady of the Regency period, as well as her somewhat limited career choices. Novels abound of gently reared ladies having to make do when circumstances conspire against them. My Fortune's Brides series features gentlewomen down on their luck, so I've been doing some pondering as to what the actual choices were for such women, particularly those who are not looking to marry and would prefer not to lower her status terribly. Here are a few ideas:
Governess—The old standby. If you've survived a Season or two, if you learned some history and science along the way, perhaps another language such as French, you probably have what it takes to teach other young ladies. A slight variation on this would be a finishing school teacher, but those were somewhat rare in the Regency (even though I've given my heroines that profession in at least two stories 😊).
Nanny—I see this frequently, and I've certainly used it myself, but I haven't found too many contemporary sources claiming a young lady who had been raised for finer things took it upon herself to become a nanny. Still, if you had a motherly instinct, if you were raised with many brothers and sisters, and if you were willing to be seen as a servant, you might be able to handle this position.
Housekeeper for a relative—this is a difficult one. Technically, a housekeeper is a servant position, although higher on the servant food chain. But if you served a relative who was willing to treat you more like family so that the role was more of chatelaine, this one might do.
Lady's maid—another difficult one. Again, you are a servant, and chances are you won't be mixing socially with the upper crust. But if you are a dab hand at sewing, know your way around a cosmetic jar, and have a good ear, you could do well here.
Companion—another old standby. Families seem to have a plethora of aged female relations who require someone to fetch and carry, to share confidences, to help with daily care and entertainment. And there's always the off chance that said relative will be kind in her will.
Assistant—I'll be using this one in my fourth Fortune's Brides series, but it is a challenging one as well. Secretaries and personal attaches were generally men serving men. A lady really cannot spend time alone with a gentleman. But say a prominent lady, who doesn't want to claim her age requires a companion or needs specialized skills? Perhaps.
Sponsored artist—Sometimes your gift could be your livelihood. Wealthy patrons might sponsor a painter, a musician, or a composer. Most of these sponsored positions went to men, and it would look odd for a lady to be sponsored by a gentleman. But, under the right circumstances, I could see a woman sponsoring another woman.
So, what do you think? Have you heard of other ways for an impoverished young lady to keep her head and her dignity above water?
Posted by Regina Scott at 6:00 AM No comments:
Labels: companion, Fortune's Brides, governesses, nannies, occupations
1810, What a Year It Was: the (Final) Madness of King George
We've talked about the some of the most noteworthy public events of 1810, from literary to sporting to true crime...but perhaps the most momentous was what happened in its final months: the descent of George III into permanent debilitation.
Everyone's heard of "mad King George", and doctors and medical historians have derived endless hours of diversion from trying to figure out just what it was that the poor man suffered from. The most recent thinking seems to be that he was indeed suffering from some form of mental illness, perhaps aggravated by arsenic poisoning (arsenic was commonly used in medical treatments of the day) and not porphyria, a metabolic disease. No matter the cause, the last months of 1810 would also be his last months as reigning monarch.
First, a little history: the king's first confirmed demonstration of mental illness began in the fall of 1788, when various physical symptoms (rash, rheumatic pains, gastric distress, and fever) manifested, quickly followed by delirium, hysteria, and mania. He talked for hours on end, making grandiose, delusional plans and pronouncements until he was out of breath and foaming at the mouth. Though his physical symptoms eased, his behavioral ones did not (on November 17 he talked for nineteen straight hours), and between his ministers and his family, plans were made for a regency to rule in his stead...a plan that fell through when, early in the new year, he began to recover and was able by March to call himself mostly recovered. He seems to have suffered a brief relapse in 1794 (though not as severe as the 1788 illness) and again in 1801. After that point, his condition seems to have remained highly fragile, with more relapses and recoveries occurring over the next few years.
By October 1810, George III was 72 years old and suffering from cataracts and painful rheumatism. He'd been devastated by the deaths of two of his children in the 1780s, while they were quite young. But now it appeared that he would be facing the death of an adult child—one whose very existence had helped him over those earlier losses. Princess Amelia, his youngest daughter, had been a semi-invalid for years, probably suffering from tuberculosis, and by this time, was on death's doorstep. The king's poor eyesight had perhaps cushioned him somewhat from the truth—he could hardly see how ill she was—but toward the end even that could not shield him from the reality of his daughter's condition. As her life ebbed, his old, familiar symptoms began to reappear: nervousness and excitability, over-talkativeness, sleeplessness. In her last week of life, he too slipped away into a twilight world, and was too ill to comprehend that Amelia was dead.
The king had realized, early on, that he was in for another period of illness, and instructed his physicians that he was not to be entrusted to any "medical man specially engaged in the department of insanity," but the doctor who had looked after him in earlier periods, Robert Willis, was brought in to consult. Poor George had days when he seemed almost normal over the course of November and December, but enough bad days encouraged the revival of the Regency bill that had first been drafted (and nearly passed by Parliament) back in 1789. Everyone—his family, servants, and ministers—waited with bated breath to see what would happen. More lucid days in January occurred, but while there were hopes that he would once again recover, the Regency bill was voted on and passed Parliament, with George's knowledge, at the end of the month, and Prince George became Regent with limited powers, to be reviewed in one year's time (presumably in case the king recovered.)
However, it became clear through the spring that recovery was unlikely: while he still had periods of lucidity, the king slipped inexorably into his delusional world, talking and giving commands to people who weren't there, and seemed to forget his affection for his family. The lucid periods became fewer, and in the fall it was expected that at the one-year anniversary of the Regency Act in January 1812, the regency would be made permanent. Poor King George would hang on for another eight years, growing blinder and sicker, until his death in 1820.
Posted by Marissa Doyle at 7:24 PM No comments:
Labels: 1810, George III, George III's children, Princess Amelia, Prinny the Prince of Wales, Queen Charlotte
I'm baaaack.
Back in the Regency, that is. For nearly 2 years, all my new releases have focused on frontier Seattle. While I loved getting to delve into local history, and there are more stories calling, I have missed my beloved Regency England. That's why I'm over the moon delighted to let you know that the first book in my new Regency-set series, Fortune's Brides, is up for preorder now and will release May 18.
After spending the last ten years following her late husband on campaign, the irrepressible Jane Kimball finds herself badly in need of a position to support herself. Marriage holds no appeal; she's not likely to find a husband like her Jimmy again. But when Miss Thorn of the Fortune Employment Agency offers her a post with the Duke of Wey, Jane feels drawn to help the lonely widower with his three daughters. He may seem a bit aloof, but Miss Thorn's cat Fortune approved of him. Why should Jane doubt a duke?
Alaric, Duke of Wey, commands his staff, his tenants, and the halls of Parliament, managing vast holdings in England and across the seas. Why is it he cannot manage his own daughters? As an old danger rears its head, he comes to rely on Jane's practical nature, her outspoken ways to navigate the waters of fatherhood. And when necessity dictates he take a wife, thoughts turn to an unlikely governess who might make the perfect bride.
You can preorder at fine online establishments:
In honor of this new release, I'm running a cover reveal Rafflecopter giveaway through April 28. Enter to win an e-book copy of all five of the stories in my Uncommon Courtships series.
Regardless, The Unflappable Miss Fairchild, the first in that series is free on all online retailers through April 28.
Posted by Regina Scott at 6:00 AM 4 comments:
Labels: cover reveal, Fortune's Brides, giveaway, Never Doubt a Duke, preorder
Okay, not really. But this is really cool—you'll see.
As well as publishing the Repository of Arts, we know that Mr.Ackermann designed carriages and owned a print store where he sold prints, paper, and art supplies. He advertised his paper goods at times just as he did those delicious fabric samples we look at occasionally, but most of those ads seemed to occur in earlier issues of the Repository (both of the ones we've seen were from 1810.) So imagine my delight when I ran across this paper sample page featuring BRUNELL'S PATENT METALLICK PAPER.
Shiny, isn't it? It doesn't scan very well—it looks more like metallic camouflage than anything else—but it was evidently pretty snazzy stuff for the time. The gold and bronze-colored papers at Nos. 1 and 2 have help up quite well, but the red one at No. 3 evidently didn't get along well with the tissue paper covering this plate—it more or less dissolved the paper, which in turn left a cloudy haze on that sample. No. 4, in dark brown, also survived well and bears a good resemblance to tortoise shell.
So what is this stuff? Happily, the original text is present, and reads:
The ornamental crystalization [sic] on tinned surfaces, exhibited in many shops, being confined in its application to articles of the japanner's trade [japanning being a European form of Asian lacquering], it became a great desideratum to have a similar result elicited on a substance, which, like paper, could be easily employed in covering articles of almost any description.
The metallic paper which is now offered to the public, is the produce of a new discovery made by M. J. Brunel, Esq., F.R.S. &c.
The matchless beauty of this substance, the character and variety of its crystalization, exceed in effect and brilliancy what has yet been obtained on tin plates, over which it possesses an additional advantage in the dimensions of the sheets, which can be made as large as 4 feet by twenty inches.
It has already met with a most favourable reception on the Continent, where it is likely to open a new channel for British industry. The Report made before the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c. in Paris, on the 10th Feb. last, by their Comité des Arts Chimiques, is evidence of the opinion entertained there of this discovery as an article of trade....
This metallic paper is now used by skilful artists with great success in decorating apartments and furniture. R. Ackermann, at his Repository of Arts, has introduced it with great taste into a variety of fancy work, where it displays an uncommonly novel and rich appearance. It is sold, in various shades, as seen by the annexed patterns, in sheets of the following sizes and prices: Large, 23 by 19 inches, 6s.; small, 19 by 11 ½ inches, 3s.—Nothing but a strong paste made of good flour is required to fasten it to wood, paper, &c. &c.
It's fun, isn't it? But what's even more fun—and interesting--is the man who invented this pretty stuff. M. J. Brunel was Marc Isambard Brunel, a French engineer born in 1769 who fled France during the Revolution, went to New York and became an American citizen before returning to France to marry his English sweetheart and moving with her to England. He was responsible for all kinds of engineering feats—from inventing a machine that could make pulley blocks for the British navy to, eventually, building a tunnel under the Thames (on which project he was aided by his 18-year-old son who would become an even more famous engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.)
Queen Victoria would eventually knight Papa Brunel for that feat, but it was still in his future...he would first work on a series of not-very successful ventures and wind up in debtor's prison for a couple of months (and was bailed out by the government when they heard that he was negotiating moving to Russia to work for the Tsar.) I can't help wondering if this paper might have been one of those projects that led to his stint in King's Bench Prison...but I also can't help wondering if the enthusiastic crafters of 1819 weren't head over heels with it.
Posted by Marissa Doyle at 5:38 AM No comments:
Labels: Ackermann, advertisements, crafts, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Marc Isambard Brunel, paper
Cool 19th Century Places to Visit: National Building Museum
I discovered this gem recently when I traveled to the nation's capital. The National Building Museum is run by a non-profit organization set up by Congress. The red-brick façade appears solid and sturdy, but if you look closer, you can see a marvelous frieze showing every type of regiment in the Union army, all valiantly marching around the outside. Still, nothing prepares you for what awaits inside.
What is now the National Building Museum was originally completed in 1887 to house the Pension Bureau, those hard-working individuals attempting to manage the claims of the hundreds of thousands of men who had served the Union in the Civil War. The order from the government was clear—besides allowing for processing these claims, the building had to have a grand central space for use in civic and social functions. Accordingly, the central space was patterned after an Italian palace, with columns sweeping four stories into the air and a fountain playing in the center. This space was used for a number of inaugural balls in the 1800s.
I was fortunate enough to arrive on a day when tours were being given, so I received an inside look at this wonderful national treasure. Here are some of the high points.
As they were restoring the building, they discovered that part of the director's suite had this marvelous painted ceiling. It has been cleaned and is being refurbished. It reminded me of the Regency.
A thin metal track runs along the entire ceiling of the walkway along the tippy top floor. Our guide said that when papers must be moved from office to office, the workers would place them in a basket, hook the basket up over the track, and push it along over their heads by use of a paddle until they reached the right office. I stared at her, amazed. They were the first paper pushers!
At the very top are alcoves to house the busts of those who had served in the Civil War. Unfortunately, when the director appealed to the Smithsonian for busts, he was refused. The National Building Museum purchased multiple sets of 8 busts to represent those involved in buildings (architects, builders, etc.). Those are now placed randomly to fill the holes.
The walkway around each floor is edged with columns that are apparently hollow. This is known because someone carved a hole in one. A special camera was brought in and inserted into the hole to confirm materials, only to find that the column was filled with copies of the Declaration of Independence, newspapers from the 1880s, and other documents. More digging through the director's papers from the time led to the discovery that he had intended several of the columns as time capsules. He'd reasoned that the building would not stand forever, and, when some future people tore it down, he wanted them to know about the people from long ago who had built it.
The various displays in the building are well worth the price of admission, but it should be noted that the building itself, the museum shop, and the café are open to the public free of charge. You can find the National Building Museum at 401 F Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is open from Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. For more on its illustrious history, see https://www.nbm.org/about/historic-home/
Labels: cool places to visit, National Building Museum, Washington DC
It's been a while since I started doing (and finished up) regular Fashion Forecasts here...and one corollary of that is that I've since acquired a lot more prints for any given year. Since the last time we looked at fashions in the year 1813 was back in 2010, I thought I'd post some more prints from my collection...because, eye candy.
All prints are from Ackermann's Repository, many with the original descriptions. Enjoy!
An Evening or Opera Dress—note the opera glass in her hand!—from February is "A round robe of mull muslin, or crape, over satin or sarsnet, with long sleeve and low front, bordered at the bottom and on the bosom with a rich brocade ribband, or embroidery of coloured silks. A patent net neck-kerchief, edged with lace round the throat. A sash of pale Russian flame colour, tied negligently in front of the waist. The hair flat on the sides, and in waved curls in front, divided in the center of the forehead, and confined in full curls at the back of the head, with an apparent stray ringlet falling on one shoulder. Neck-chain, ear-rings, and cross, of blended gold and pearl. A Cossack cloak, or mantle, of pale Russian flame-coloured cloth, with arched standing collar, finished with a coloured border, corresponding with the dress; lined with white sarsnet, and confined occasionally at the throat with a correspondent cord and tassel. Satin slippers, the colour of the mantle; and gloves, a pale primrose."
What a wonderful cloak on this Morning Dress for February! "A plain cambric robe, made high in the neck, with plaited fan frill and long sleeves, finished at the bottom with a border of fancy tucks or needle-work. A Prussian hussar cloak, of Sardinian blue velvet, or superfine cloth; lined and edged with pink satin, and finished at its termination with a variegated ball fringe; large hood, or cape, lined and trimmed to correspond; the points finished with rich cone tassels, and confined at the throat with the same. A Moorish turban hat, composed of Sardinian blue velvet and sable fur. A muff of spotted ermine. Blue kid half-boots; and gloves a pale tan colour."
March's Half Dress features "A round robe of coloured sarsnet, or muslin, spotted with amber; drawn frock bosom; and long, full sleeves, tied twice at the wrist, at regular distances. A tucker of lace, or plaited net. A cap à la Russe, composed of white satin and lace, confined with a ribband round the head, terminating in bows and ends on one side. Hair in disheveled curls. Necklace and cross of amber beads. Gloves and shoes of lemon-coloured kid. Spanish capuchin, or lapelled cloak of white or stone-coloured kerseymere, embroidered with a rich border, in chenille and silk."
Also from March is an Opera Dress "A round low dress, of fine India muslin, the bosom composed entirely of needle-work and lace beading, and a correspondent border round the bosom; and confined round the waist with a sash tied in front. A robe pelisse, of fine amber-coloured cloth, or satin; bordered round in shaded brown chenille, with deep and rich corners. The pelisse lined throughout with white satin or sarsnet; and trimmed entirely round, and at the wrists, with a full swansdown border. A white satin hat, of the Spanish form, turned up with three rows of white beads or pearl; a curled ostrich feather waving towards one side. A neck-chain and cross of the satin bead, with earrings en suite. Gloves of white kid; and slippers of satin, the colour of the pelisse, trimmed with fringe. A fan of ivory, or crape, decorated with fancy feathers."
April brings a very frilly Morning Dress, for which I don't have the text...but did I mention it was very frilly? And perhaps ruffled as well? Note the cap, daintily decorated with three rows of scalloped lace.
If April's Morning Dress was all about ruffles, May's Morning Dress is all about cute little tassels around the collar and capelet...but I do confess to being more distracted by the little dog...or is it a miniature heraldic lion? ☺
We'll do more of my 1813 acquisitions in a week or two. Got any favorites among these?
Labels: 1813, Ackermann, fashion, fashion prints
It has been said it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a team to produce a book too. My beloved husband challenged me to finish my first book and encourages me to keep writing. Friends like my dear Marissa celebrate successes and commiserate failures. But through each book, through every plot, every good and bad cover, every praising or complaining review, there has been one person who has always been by my side.
Kristy J. Manhattan.
I call Kris my critique partner, but that isn't a very good description of the many ways she influences my books. For one thing, she rarely asks me to critique her work even though she is a talented writer herself. (She wrote 1,000 words yesterday. I cheered.)
For another thing, she does far more than critique. She serves as a sounding board for plots and characters, helps me think through issues, and offers advice about career plans and hopes. She was my guide the first time I went to England (she'd been there before--that's her outside the assembly rooms in Bath). She read every book aloud to me while I checked the text back in the day when we had to hand proof (as in the publisher would send a manuscript that had been rekeyed and the author was responsible for ensuring that every letter had been transferred over correctly). And she serves as my first reader, the one who lets me know when I get it right and when I might have gotten it wrong.
She pointed out when my heroine's eyes inexplicably changed color in the middle of the story.
She noticed when my characters bought two horses and somehow rode away on three.
She catches typos, grammatical errors, and plot holes (though I try to give her very few of any of these).
Because of her love of cats, she's coaching me through my upcoming series that features a mysterious employment agency owner and her matchmaking feline Fortune.
Her support gives me confidence to send my books to a publisher and to let them loose into the world through self-publishing.
If you enjoyed any of my stories, chances are Kris helped make it that polished jewel.
Today is her birthday. I wrote this post to let her know how much I value and appreciate all her efforts on my behalf over the years. Here's to many more stories to come, Kristy J. Much love.
Posted by Regina Scott at 6:00 AM 1 comment:
Labels: Fortune's Brides, happy birthday, Kristy J. Manhattan
I mentioned a few weeks back that I'd found an intriguing article in a copy of La Belle Assemblèe, and I thought you might find it interesting as well. Is it a hoax—a story constructed purely to titillate and entertain? Or did two young Scottish ladies see something magical on that sunny January day?
From the September 1809 edition:
THE MERMAID SEEN ON THE COAST OF CAITHNESS
We give the following letter, leaving our readers to attach what credit to it they please:
Letter from Miss Mackay, daughter of the Reverend David Mackay, Minister of Reay, to Mrs. Innes, Dowager of Sandside.
Reay Manse, May 25, 1809
MADAM,—to establish the truth of what has hitherto been considered improbable and fabulous, must at all times be considered a difficult task, and I have not the vanity to think that my testimony alone would be sufficient for this purpose; but when to this is added that of four others, I hope it will have some effect in removing the doubts of those, who may suppose that the wonderful appearance I reported having seen in the sea on the 12th of January, was not a mermaid, but some other uncommon, though less remarkable, inhabitant of the deep. As I would willingly contribute to remove the doubt of the sceptical on this subject, I beg leave to state to you the following account, after premising that my cousin, whose name is affixed along with mine, was one of the four witnesses who beheld with me this uncommon spectacle.
While she and I were walking by the sea shore, on the 12th of January, about noon, our attention was attracted by seeing three people who were on a rock at some distance, shewing signs of terror and astonishment at something they saw in the water; on approaching them, we distinguished that the object of their wonder was a face resembling the human countenance, which appeared floating on the waves; at that time nothing but the face was visible; it may not be improper to observe, before I proceed farther, that the face, throat, and arms, are all I can attempt to describe, all our endeavours to discover the appearance and position of the body unavailing. The sea at that time ran very high, and as the waves advance, the Mermaid gently sunk under them, and afterwards reappeared.
The face seemed plump and round, the eyes and nose were small, the former were of a light grey colour, and the mouth was large, and from the shape of the jaw-bone, which seemed straight, the face looked short, as to the inside of the mouth I can say nothing, not having attended to it, though sometimes open. The head was exceeding round, the hair thick and long, of a green oily cast, and appeared troublesome to it, the waves generally throwing it down over the face; it seemed to feel the annoyance, and as the waves retreated, with both its hands frequently threw back the hair, and rubbed its throat, as if to remove any soiling it might have received from it. The throat was slender, smooth, and white; we did not think to observe whether it had elbows, but from the manner in which it used its arms, I must conclude that it had. The arms were very long and slender, as were the hands and fingers, the latter were not webbed. The arms, one of them at least, was frequently extended over its head, as if to frighten a bird that hovered over it, and seemed to distress it much; when that had no effects it sometimes turned quite round several times successively. At a little distance we observed a seal. It sometimes laid its right hand under its cheek, and in this position floated for some time. We saw nothing like hair or scales on any part of it, indeed the smoothness of the skin particularly caught our attention. The time it was discernable to us was about an hour. The sun was shining clearly at the time; it was distant from us a few yards only. These are the few observation made by us during the appearance of this strange phenomenon.
If they afford you any satisfaction, I shall be particularly happy. I have stated nothing but what I clearly recollect; as my cousin and I had frequently, prior to this period, combated an assertion which is very common among the lower class here, that Mermaids had frequently been seen on this coast, our evidence cannot be thought biased by any former prejudice in favour of the existence of this wonderful creature.
To contribute in any degree to your pleasure or amusement, will add to the happiness of,—Madam, your greatly obliged,
(signed) ELIZ. MACKAY,
C. MACKENZIE
So what do you think they saw that day? I don't know about you, but I think I feel a story coming on...!
Posted by Marissa Doyle at 5:44 AM 2 comments:
Labels: La Belle Assemblee, mermaids, Scotland


It seems like Darna is everyone's favorite topic nowadays. Ever since Liza Soberano had to back out of the role due to a finger injury, studio and public alike have been on the hunt for the next Darna. Everyone has their own opinion on who is the best pick for the iconic character, spanning what feels like literally every eligible Filipina actress. But it's about time we start hearing what these actresses themselves think about taking up the mantle.
I'm very flattered that they think I can play the role of Darna. It's an iconic role, it's a very sought-after role, it's the role of a lifetime.
Kung papalarin na ibibigay sa akin 'yung role na Darna, tatanggapin ko [If I happen to be given the role of Darna, I will accept it]. I will work hard, I will train, I will attend workshops. Ibibigay ko lahat ng lakas ko [I will give all my strength]. But, of course, it's ABS-CBN's decision in the end to see who is the perfect fit to play the role.
Of course, while no official announcements have been made this is all just speculation.
Who is your pick for the next Darna?
Did you join the #tumbleweedchallenge?


text:
TONIGHT'S MENU: A BROTHER'S DEATH, TIANANMEN SQUARE AND HIDDEN TURKEY
By ROGER CATLIN
Jay Rosenblatt never got over the guilt of his younger brother's death as a child -- or that he used to make fun of him.
Now, more than 40 years after the death, he tries to make sense of his guilt and loss in a most impressionistic film.
"Phantom Limb" (Cinemax, 7 p.m.) borrows a bit from home movies, fills it in with period archival footage and eventually gets in a couple of contemporary interviews to address the separate sections, titled separation, denial, sorrow, confusion, longing and return.
Sometimes the blend of pictures and words don't make literal sense but fit anyway, as when we see the entire shearing of a sheep. The title refers to the phenomenon of amputees feeling limbs long after they are gone.
Likewise, so will the short film be remembered long after it's over.
Remote Patrol
This month's Thursday night showcase of the films of animator Hayao Miyazaki continues with 1988's "My Neighbor Totoro" (TCM, 8 p.m.), his first to gain wide release in the U.S. It's followed by 1992's "Porco Rosso" (TCM, 9:30 p.m.) and 1995's "Whisper of the Heart" (11:15 p.m.), which Miyazaki wrote and was directed by Yoshifumo Kondo, an animator on Miyazaki's best-known film, "Princess Mononoke." The program is repeated at 1:15 a.m. A new episode of "Declassified" (History, 10 p.m.) looks at the Chinese government's bloody crackdown on demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. ... It's a mystery that occurs on some Thanksgivings: "Hidden Turkey" (CPTV, PBS, 10 p.m.). ... "My Name is Earl" (NBC, 9 p.m.) samples office life as well in an episode called "Cubicle Life." ... Jim regrets confessing to Michael his feelings about Pam and has to pretend being his best friend to make sure he doesn't tell the rest of "The Office" (NBC, 9:30 p.m.).
A young man is found dead in his girlfriend's garage after a night of partying on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 9 p.m.). ... Willa Holland portrays Marissa's 14-year-old sister, suddenly back in "The O.C." (Fox, 9 p.m.) after an extended stay at a private boarding school.
Late Talk
Jay Leno: Albert Brooks, Jenna Elfman, Mary J. Blige. Conan O'Brien: Kate Beckinsale, Brian Posehn. Craig Ferguson: Vanessa Williams. Carson Daly: Mekhi Phifer, Natasha Bedingfield. Jon Stewart: Nathan Lane.


– Scan and plan - Discover, classify and analyse the design and data complexity of Notes databases. Data collected during analysis will help to automate and manage the project.
– Rules-based automation - Assign new migration jobs and target locations using a customizable rules-based engine for data collected during analysis.
– Easy provisioning - Reducing IT burden by automatically provisioning new SharePoint sites, sub-sites, libraries and lists based on source infrastructure. Reproduce custom Notes applications schema in SharePoint lists and libraries.
– Dynamic document destinations - Archive documents in a practical format while preserving the original layout and content by migrating them to Word, HTML or PDF. Migrate Notes documents to webpart pages, InfoPath XML documents, or custom Microsoft Word templates for applications requiring custom form layouts.
Lotus Notes to Sharepoint migration insights for you.


text:
Minisite / CIDOC / Organisation / Who we are / Statutes
CIDOC Statutes (waiting review following changes to ICOM Rules for ICs)
1. Name and address
The name of the organization is the International Documentation Committee (CIDOC), hereafter referred to as the Committee or CIDOC. Its address is care of the Chair of the Committee.
2. Relationship with ICOM
The Committee is an International Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), established under Article 17 para 3 of the Statutes of ICOM. Its activities are at all times subject to the Statutes and to these Rules, made in accordance with Article 28 of the Statutes.
3. Aims
The aims of CIDOC are to:
(i) support the aims and objectives of ICOM, in particular with reference to the management and use of museum information and documentation;
(ii) contribute to the development and implementation of ICOM's program;
(iii) formulate and carry out a program of activities related to museum information and documentation;
(iv) provide a forum for communication, cooperation and information exchange, between museums, professional museum workers and others concerned with museum information and documentation;
(v) provide advice to ICOM on museum information and documentation and be a source of professional expertise to assist in the implementation of ICOM's program;
(vi) represent the interests of museum information and documentation within ICOM;
(vii) cooperate with ICOM National Committees, Regional Organizations, other International Committees and Affiliated Organizations, in matters related to the Committee's specific mandate and to the broader interests of ICOM.
4. Membership
(a) The membership of the Committee shall comprise those members being individual Members or designated representatives of Institutional Members of ICOM who request membership of the Committee, and such other persons (not exceeding 20% of the Committee membership) who are coopted to the Committee.
(b) Members of the Committee shall be either:
(i) Voting Members, being members of ICOM who have nominated CIDOC as the Committee of which they wish to be a voting member; or
(ii) Non voting Members, being members of ICOM who have sought membership of the Committee but who are voting members of another International Committee; or
(iii) Coopted Members, being persons not members of ICOM who provide professional services to museums, who accept and abide by the ICOM Code of Professional Ethics, and do not deal in cultural property. Members in this category shall be coopted in conjunction with a specific project or for a specific period of time.
(c) Members of ICOM wishing to join the Committee, as either Voting or Non voting Members, shall inform ICOM Headquarters, which shall transmit details of the Member's application to the Secretary of the Committee, together with advice as to whether the Member is a voting member of any other International Committee of ICOM.
(d) The Secretary shall allocate all such applications to one or other of the classes of membership, depending on the voting affiliation (if any) of the applicant with another International Committee. A person shall not be denied membership on the grounds of lack of professional qualifications in the area of specialization of the Committee.
(e) Membership of the Committee shall cease if the Member:
(i) resigns from the Committee;
(ii) ceases to be a member of ICOM for any reason.
5. Rights of Members
(a) Upon admission of a person to membership of the Committee, membership rights accrue to the member, including participating in the activities and program of the Committee, attending meetings organized by the Committee, and purchasing any publications produced by the Committee for sale to Members.
(b) Persons admitted as Voting Members shall have the right to vote in the business meetings of the Committee, stand for election to the Board, vote in Board elections and be designated as a representative of the Committee to vote at the General Assembly of ICOM and in the election of the Executive Council.
(c) A Voting Member of the Committee who seeks and obtains voting membership of another International Committee shall, upon request, become a Non voting Member of the Committee.
(d) Non voting Members and Coopted Members may not vote in the affairs of the Committee nor stand for election to the Board.
6. Meetings of the Committee
(a) The Committee shall hold such meetings as it considers necessary for the attainment of its objectives and carrying out its program.
(b) At all meetings of the Committee, participants may present papers and speak in any of the official languages of ICOM. Another language may be used if a participant arranges for translation into one of the official languages of ICOM or if the majority of participants agree to its use without translation.
(c) The Committee shall meet in plenary session each year and in conjunction with the General Assembly of ICOM. At least six months notice shall be given to all Members of the Committee of the place and date of plenary meetings.
(d) The triennial plenary meeting held in conjunction with the General Assembly shall be the principal business meeting of the Committee. Its agenda shall include the following items:
(i) a report on the work of the Committee during the preceding biennium;
(ii) a report on the finances of the Committee for the preceding biennium;
(iii) a review of the draft triennial program of ICOM and adoption of the work program of the Committee for the forthcoming biennium;
(iv) a review of the activities of the Working Groups and renewal of their mandates if appropriate;
(v) adoption of the budget for the following biennium;
(vi) election of the Board.
(e) The quorum for the triennial meeting shall be 10% of the voting membership of the Committee present personally or by proxy.
(f) At triennial plenary meetings, each Voting Member shall be entitled to one vote on any matter before the Committee. An Institutional Member may, in writing, designate a person to vote on their behalf.
(g) The Committee may establish Working Groups with specific terms of reference to facilitate its program. Each Working Group shall appoint a Convenor from among its number, who shall be a Voting Member of the Committee and shall report on progress with its mandate at each triennial plenary meeting of the Committee. At each such meeting, the need for each Working group shall be reviewed and its mandate renewed if appropriate.
(h) The Committee may convene meetings at the regional or subregional level. All Members shall be entitled to attend such meetings.
(i) In accordance with Article 17, para 10, of the Statutes, the Chair of the Committee shall inform the Chair of the National Committee in the State in which any meeting is to be held, of the date, place and subject of the meeting.
7. Management of the Committee
(a) The affairs of the Committee shall be managed by a Board, comprised of persons elected by the Voting Members and persons coopted to the Board. The elected members shall consist of a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Editor together with four ordinary members. Elected members of the Board shall be elected for a period not exceeding three years, but may be reelected if eligible under Article 17, para 4, of the Statutes.
(b) No more than two members from any one country may be elected to the Board. In order to ensure adequate geographic representation, the elected members of the Board may coopt additional members (not exceeding one third of the number of elected members) from regions not sufficiently represented by elected members. The terms of office of coopted members will extend from the date of their cooption to the next triennial meeting of the Committee.
(c) Any voting member of the Committee in good standing, including a designated representative of an Institutional Member, is eligible to stand for election to, or be coopted to, the Board, subject to the limitations imposed by Article 17, para 4, of the Statutes.
d) The Board shall be elected by the Voting Members at the triennial plenary meeting of the Committee. The outgoing Board shall invite nominations for the next Board at least four months before the triennial meeting, and shall inform the Voting Members of the names and qualifications of candidates at least two months prior to the date of the meeting. A Voting Member who is unable to attend the triennial plenary meeting may authorize, in writing, another Voting Member to vote on his or her behalf at the election or may vote by mail.
(e) If a member of the Board ceases to hold office for any reason during the period between triennial plenary meetings, the position may be filled by the cooption of another voting member of the Committee until the next triennial meeting.
(f) A member of the Board shall cease to hold office if the member:
(i) resigns from ICOM for any reason;
(ii) is no longer a member in good standing (Article 1, para 3, of the Statutes);
(iii) is no longer a Voting Member of the Committee.
(g) The Board shall meet not less than once in each year.
(h) The quorum for a meeting of the Board shall be one third of the number of Board members present in person.
8. Finances of the Committee
(a) The Committee is entitled to raise such funds for its operation as it considers necessary. It may not impose any annual membership subscriptions on ICOM members, but may impose a subscription for specific purposes.
(b) Subject to confirmation by the Executive Council in the light of the annual budget of ICOM, the Committee shall receive a subvention from ICOM for each Voting Member which, on request from the Committee, shall be paid no later than 30 June each year.
(c) The Committee may impose such charges for participation in meetings as it deems necessary.
(d) The Committee may receive grants and donations and accept underwriting from sponsors.
(e) The Committee may produce and sell publications, but shall inform the Secretary General of ICOM before doing so.
(f) The Committee shall not enter unto any contract or any legally binding agreement involving expenditure by ICOM without the approval of the Executive Council first being obtained (other than contracts and agreements that relate to its own activities and can be paid for from its own funds).
(g) All monies received by the Committee shall be deposited in a bank account established for the purpose and all payments made on behalf of the Committee shall be made from that bank account. The Board shall advise the Treasurer of ICOM of the account name and number and the name of the bank at which the account is established.
(h) The Committee shall keep proper accounts of all monies received and expended on an annual basis. A report on the finances of the Committee shall be presented to Members at each plenary meeting.
(i) The Committee shall transmit a copy of the report on the finances to the Secretary General of ICOM for presentation to the Executive Committee.
9. Role and responsibilities of the Board
(a) The Board is responsible for managing the affairs of the Committee and for ensuring that the requirements of the Statutes of ICOM are met.
(b) Before any meeting of the Committee is held in a State, the Board shall satisfy itself that no impediment will be placed in the way of any Member of the Committee attending the meeting, by the Government of the host State.
(c) Each year, the Board shall prepare a report on the activities of the Committee during the previous year, which shall be sent to all members and considered at the annual plenary meeting. The report shall be transmitted to the Secretary General for submission to the Executive Council and Advisory Committee of ICOM.
(d) The Board shall transmit a report on the work of the Committee for the preceding biennium to the Secretary General for submission to the Executive Council, Advisory Committee and the General Assembly of ICOM.
(e) After consulting with the Voting Members of the Committee, the Board shall designate two Voting Members to vote on its behalf at the General Assembly and in the election of the Executive Council or advise the Secretary General of its intention to vote by mail.
(f) At least six months prior to the General Assembly, the Board shall submit to the Secretary General its comments on the draft triennial program of ICOM and a draft of its own proposed triennial program of work, for inclusion in the final triennial program of ICOM for consideration at the General Assembly.
(g) The Board shall ensure that Members of the Committee are kept fully informed of the work of the Board, of its plans for the activities of the Committee and of any other matters relevant to the work and functions of the Committee. It may publish a regular Newsletter or communicate with the Members by such other means as it deems appropriate.
10. Amendments to Rules
(a) The Rules of the Committee, adopted at the first plenary meeting of the Committee, may be amended at any subsequent annual plenary meeting of the Committee.
(b) Any suggested amendments to the Rules must be proposed and seconded by Voting Members of the Committee in good standing. The text of any proposed amendment, together with any explanatory material, shall be sent to the Voting Members of the Committee at least twenty eight days prior to the annual plenary meeting at which they are to be considered.
(c) The proposed amendment may be further amended at the annual plenary meeting at which it is considered, but only if the further amendment is of a minor nature. The Chair of the meeting shall decide whether a further amendment is of a minor nature.
(d) Adoption and amendment of the Rules shall require a three-quarters majority of the members voting, either personally or by proxy.
11. Dissolution of the Committee
(a) The Committee shall be dissolved by a decision of the Executive Council taken in accordance with Article 17, para 12, of the Statutes.
(b) In the event that the Committee is dissolved, its assets shall be transferred to ICOM Headquarters and shall be dealt with in such manner as the Executive Council thinks fit.


text:
Hull Trains is an open-access railway operator in England owned by the multinational transport company FirstGroup. It operates long-distance passenger services between Hull / Beverley and London King's Cross. It has a track-access agreement until December 2032.

Hull Trains was originally established in 1999 in the aftermath of the privatisation of British Rail in response to the low volume of trains between Hull and London King's Cross operated by the incumbent franchise. Their initial track-access agreement was granted in December 1999, permitting operations to be launched on 25 September 2000. Hull Trains' track-access agreement has been extended multiple times since commencing operations. Ownership was originally divided between an 80 percent stake held by the train operating company (TOC) GB Railways, while the former British Rail managers Mike Jones and John Nelson held the remainder. A majority stake in the company was acquired by FirstGroup in August 2003, leading to its rebranding as First Hull Trains five years later. FirstGroup made it a wholly-owned subsidiary by buying out the other shareholder in the venture during August 2014; that same year, the Hull Trains name was readopted.

Hull Trains initially ran three services per day, this was progressively expanded in response to passenger numbers to as many as seven services per day by December 2006. In addition to increasing service frequency, the number of cars per train was also raised to boost capacity. Hull Trains initially operated a small fleet of three-car Class 170 Turbostar diesel multiple units (DMUs); six years later, it exchanged these for four-car Class 222 Pioneer DMUs, followed by several five-car Class 180 Adelante DMUs and InterCity 125 HST sets. Early services were limited to a maximum speed of , the introduction of the Class 222 enabled speeds to be raised to . , all of Hull Trains' services are operated by a fleet of five Class 802 Paragon bi-mode multiple units (BMUs). In 2020 and 2021, multiple temporary suspensions of service were enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular services were resumed on 12 April 2021.

History
In 1999, there was only one through train per day each way between Hull and London King's Cross, GNER's Hull Executive. During May 1999, former British Rail managers Mike Jones and John Nelson lodged an application to operate an open-access service through their Renaissance Trains business. A joint venture was formed with the train operating company (TOC) GB Railways, which took an 80% shareholding, while Jones and Nelson each held a 10% stake in the new entity.

In December 1999, a four-year track-access agreement was granted to Hull Trains by the Office of Rail Regulation. According to rail industry periodical Rail Express, the application had been vigorously resisted by the incumbent train operators, such as West Anglia Great Northern. Furthermore, national infrastructure owner Railtrack had allegedly demonstrated a poor ability in identifying potential paths for the service. In Hull Trains' favour was the support of several prominent figures, including members of parliament, who were keen to support an initiative that would provide Hull with improved transportation.

On 25 September 2000, Hull Trains officially launched its operations with its first service departing King's Cross station. Early passenger numbers were encouraging. However, an early blow to the company came in the form of widespread disruption resulting from the Hatfield rail crash; months of speed limitations and temporary line closures heavily impacted services, albeit softened somewhat by compensation payments for lost income issued by Railtrack.

In its first year of operation, Hull Trains reportedly carried roughly 80,000 passengers. During September 2002, Hull Trains' track-access agreement was extended by ten years.

In August 2003, through the purchase of GB Railways by the British transport conglomerate FirstGroup in exchange for £22million, the latter business took possession of their majority shareholding in Hull Trains. During 2005, Hull Trains celebrated carrying its one millionth passenger.

In June 2008, Hull Trains was rebranded as First Hull Trains, as well as adopting FirstGroup's corporate blue, pink and white colours as its livery. During January 2009, the firm's access rights were extended until December 2014, and in February 2010, these rights were further extended until December 2016. That same year, its services comprised 1.25 million seats annually.

In August 2014, FirstGroup purchased the remaining 20% shareholding in the business. In January 2015, the track access agreement was extended until December 2019. That same year, the firm also resumed trading as Hull Trains. During March 2016, First Hull Trains obtained approval for a further 10-year open-access agreement until 2029, allowing it to proceed with ordering five Class 802 electro-diesel multiple-unit trains which had been announced by the operator on 3 September 2015.

In 2017, Hull Trains was named as the Best UK Train Operator, having scored 97% satisfaction rate for its services, according to the National Rail Passenger Survey.

At late March 2020, Hull Trains temporarily suspended all services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, there was concern that the company would be unable to survive without help from the government. However, Hull Trains was able to resume services on 21 August 2020. In October 2020, a three-year extension on Hull Trains' access rights was granted.

Following the implementation of a second lockdown directed by the British government, Hull Trains announced on 2 November 2020 that it would once again be temporarily suspending all services from 5 November 2020. After the second lockdown ended, Hull Trains resumed service on 3 December 2020 with a limited timetable. Following a third lockdown's implementation, Hull Trains announced on 5 January 2021 that it would be once again temporarily suspending all services from 9 January 2021. Regular services were resumed on 12 April 2021.

In August 2021 the track access agreement was extended until December 2032.

Services

Hull Trains operates up to five daily return services between Hull and London King's Cross on weekdays and a twice-daily service between Beverley and King's Cross. At weekends there are five daily services between Hull and King's Cross only.

Hull Trains began operating three services per day on 25 September 2000. In December 2002, a fourth daily service started, followed by a fifth in May 2004, a sixth in May 2005, and a seventh in December 2006.

On 4 February 2015, one service per weekday was extended from Hull to Beverley in each direction. In December 2015, one service was extended to Beverley at weekends. In May 2019, a further service in each direction was extended from Hull to Beverley on weekdays.

Expansion proposals

In 2008, First Hull Trains applied for track access rights to run services between Harrogate and London King's Cross via York under the First Harrogate Trains banner and from Cleethorpes to King's Cross via Lincoln and Spalding. In January 2009, the Office of Rail Regulation released its decisions on the ECML route planning and rejected First Harrogate Trains' application.

Rolling stock

Current fleet
In September 2015, Hull Trains announced a £60million order for five new five-car bi-mode high-speed trains from Hitachi with seating for 320 people. In its proposed track access application, Hull Trains confirmed that these would be Class 802s. In August 2019, Hull Trains announced that it would branding its new trains as the 'Paragon' fleet. The first unit entered service on 5 December 2019, with the Class 180 fleet not seeing service again following service suspension on 19 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Class 802 units, Coach A is standard seating with wheelchair accommodation, Coach B and Coach C are both standard seating, Coach D is both standard- and first-class seating and Coach E is completely first-class seating with wheelchair accommodation. In response to customer requests, the units do not have a cafe bar compared to the Class 180 units they replaced.

Past fleet

When Hull Trains was initially established, one early obstacle was a shortage of viable rolling stock. Brush Traction was approached with a request to build additional Class 43 power cars, but this provide to be uneconomic due to the need for extensive updates to comply with up-to-date safety legislation; instead, successful negotiations were completed to lease 3-car Class 170 Turbostars from sister GB Railways company Anglia Railways. When Hull Trains commenced operations on 25 September 2000, it was exclusively operating a fleet of Class 170. There was at least one occurrence of an Anglia Railways Class 86 and Mark 2 set operating as far as Doncaster.

When the Strategic Rail Authority changed its policy on allowing train operating company assets to be hired out, Hull Trains needed to acquire its own fleet. It ordered four 3-car Class 170 Turbostars, the first entering service in March 2004. These were intended only as an interim solution as four 4-car Class 222 Pioneers were ordered at the same time, but because the former were part of a speculative order already placed by Porterbrook they would be available in time.

The Class 170 Turbostars entered service in March 2004. It was planned that after being replaced, they would then be used on new services, but these services were never introduced, so the Class 170 trains were transferred to First ScotRail. The Class 222 Pioneers entered service from May 2005. Their introduction allowed for the maximum speed of Hull Trains' services to be increased from , both shortening journey times and being more easy to slot around high speed services on the East Coast Main Line.

During 2006, the number of first class passenger seats was increased on each train from 22 to 33 by reconfiguring their interiors, which included the removal of some standard class seating. In January 2007, a Class 222 Pioneer was damaged when it was dropped off a maintenance jack; it would ultimately take two years to repair. After a period of making do with only three trains, in January 2008 a Class 86 electric locomotive was hired from the AC Locomotive Group to haul a set of Mark 3s hired from Cargo-D for weekend London King's Cross to Doncaster services.

The first set of five-car Class 180 Adelante units entered service with First Hull Trains in April 2008. In total, four sets were introduced releasing the locomotive-hauled fleet and the three Class 222 Pioneer sets. The latter was transferred to East Midlands Trains along with the unit that was damaged.

The Class 180s enabled First Hull Trains to provide more capacity by its additional carriage, but when the units first arrived they were plagued by technical difficulties, and a period of poor reliability for the company followed. However, First Hull Trains were able to improved reliability since their introduction. The Class 180s were also given a refresh internally with new seat covers and a deep clean. New catering facilities for first class were also provided, and externally the units were repainted in FirstGroup's neon blue livery.

Following further reliability problems with the Class 180s, an InterCity 125 HST set was hired from Great Western Railway in February 2019. In April 2019, Hull Trains introduced another HST to its network following more reliability problems. Both of these HST sets returned to GWR in December 2019.

Following the introduction of the Class 802 units, the Class 180 units were transferred in stages to East Midlands Railway to replace EMR's three six-carriage HSTs inherited from Grand Central. The first two units transferred to Derby Etches Park in January 2020 after a period in storage at Crofton Depot, and the final two followed in summer 2020.

Depots
Maintenance of the Class 180 Adelantes was undertaken at Old Oak Common Depot alongside First Great Western's fleet until this depot closed in 2018. Two sets (or occasionally three if there were no sets on maintenance) were stabled and serviced each night in Hull sidings by Hull Trains staff (where there were usually two fitters on at night to undertake basic fault repair and diagnostics) with fuelling and emptying of toilet tanks being undertaken at Arriva Rail North's Botanic Gardens TMD. The third service set was stabled at either Bounds Green or Old Oak Common as service requirements dictated. A day fitter was based at Hull from Bombardier at Crofton TMD.

The Class 802s are maintained by Hitachi at Bounds Green depot.

References

Citations

Sources

External links

FirstGroup railway companies
Open-access train operating companies
Railway companies established in 2000
Rail transport in Kingston upon Hull
Renaissance Trains
2000 establishments in England
British companies established in 2000